3 Ways to Eliminate Stress Through Mindfulness and Meditation

You may find yourself struggling to manage the stress caused by the expectations of today’s changing climate on top of all your other responsibilities. When we’re bogged down by stress and anxiety, it makes it much more difficult to be focused and productive, thereby making our to-do list grow longer and longer. However, you can work to eliminate stress through mindfulness and meditation.You have probably heard about mindfulness, but you may not be completely clear on what it really means. To begin, let’s discuss what mindfulness is NOT:

• Another thing “to do”
• Becoming a monk or a hippie
• “Controlling” your mind
• A formal practice that takes hours

Instead, mindfulness simply means to be present and to live with intention and awareness. Meditation is a simple act to allow you to practice mindfulness. It helps you connect to your breath, let go, slow down, and tune into the moment. Meditation has several proven benefits, including:

• Reduces insomnia by 50%
• Can increase your attention span by practicing regularly for just 4 days
• Relieves back pain by 30%
• Lowers blood pressure by 80% with regular practice
• Improves general wellness

In addition, meditation can be extremely impactful within the workplace. It has been shown that:

• Meditation increases employee productivity by 120%
• 60% of employees experiencing anxiety in the workplace showed marked improvement upon practicing meditation
• Businesses with meditation programs for employees experienced a 520% profit increase
• Meditation in the workplace reduces workplace stress, increases productivity, improves mental health and enhances work and personal relationships

So how can you start down the path of practicing mindfulness at work? Here are 3 ways to eliminate stress through mindfulness and meditation.

Slow down to speed up: Effective, mindful leaders take time to slow down in what they are doing to make the best decisions and take the best action. You can use breathing to bring you back to the present and prevent the burnout that comes from being motivated by stress. The next time you find yourself rushing through a task, stop and take three deep breaths before continuing.

Do one thing at a time: Multi-tasking can be a source of stress and lead to ineffective results. The mindful thing to do is to focus on one thing at a time. To help, you can use a journal to write down what task you are focusing on for the next amount of time and then set a timer.

Practice Gratitude: The more grateful you are, the more happiness and positive impact you will experience in your work, relationships, health, and creativity. Put this into practice by choosing to write down one thing you are grateful for in your work each day before you begin or as you end your day. As

an added element, consider the “why” for the things you are grateful for to really help you fully realize your gratitude.

These 3 ways to eliminate stress through mindfulness and meditation will get you on the right track.

Presented by:

Alisha Leytem, LLC

CEO and Founder
Zen Babe

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